ABSTRACT
Stone, composed of a mixture of minerals, is distributed universally at or below the earth’s surface and has been worked continuously since prehistoric times; hence virtually any type of stone could be found in a museum collection. Pure minerals may also be found in geological and gemological collections. Buildings, sculpture, inscriptions, utilitarian objects, etc., were generally made from one of the three rock types, classified according to origin as igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic.
